Duncan's breakthrough from the middle stage of the Qi Gathering realm to the advanced stage of the Qi Gathering realm went without a hitch.
After creating the diluted blood wine, Duncan found that the potency of the wine Shen Wulong had given him was less than the wine he had gotten from his senior brother. It almost made him waste a bottle of beast blood.
But luckily, the process of creating the blood wine wasn't complicated. It was just diluting the spirit energy present in it with beast blood. So, he was able to salvage it by adding more wine to the blood.
If the wine he obtained from his senior brother required a few droplets, the wine he obtained from Shen Wulong required to be poured a quarter of the gourd. The difference was a little large. This made Duncan realize that he had to get the ratio right or the blood wine wouldn't work as it does with his cultivation technique.
After a few tries, he figured out the ration and finally ended up with only four gourds of blood wine in his hands. Initially, he was a little worried that this might not be enough for him to break through to the seventh level of the Qi Gathering realm.
Fortunately, it only took him three gourds to break through the sixth level and reach the seventh level of the Qi Gathering realm. When he opened his eyes, Duncan realized that the amount of qi he could control now was really much higher than what he could control at the sixth level.
His attacks became much more powerful and the difference between the middle stage and the advanced stage was clearly visible to him. It made him realize that not every breakthrough produced the same amount of increase in strength.
There was an exponential increase in strength at the advanced stage of the Qi Gathering realm. He could only wonder how strong he would be if he broke through the Qi Gathering realm and entered the Spirit Sea realm. He couldn't wait to feel that kind of power coursing through his veins.
Duncan's gains from last night just didn't stop there.
After listening to Shen Wulong talk about martial arts cultivation, Duncan's horizons have broadened a lot. Right now, he could see far and even had a vague idea of how to proceed in his martial arts cultivation.
Some things that have been hazy to his understanding became clear and Duncan was forced to look at the two martial arts techniques that he was practicing in a new light.
He didn't look at the shape and form of the techniques anymore. It was clear to him that the ultimate goal was to understand the essence and grasp the elusive concept that the martial arts technique has been based on.
When it came to <Absolute Cut Sword Arts>, the concept that the technique espoused was very clear to Duncan. His attainments when it came to sword techniques have always been top-notch.
After applying what Shen Wulong told him yesterday night, Duncan began to vaguely understand the concept that the <Absolute Cut Sword Arts> was based upon.
The sword technique focused on the concept of cutting. While it was only a normal action, the symbolic meaning behind the action when it comes to the usage of the sword made Duncan realize something very important.
A sword that couldn't cut can never be called a proper sword.
From learning martial arts as a mortal, Duncan had known that there were ten basic movements of a sword that one needs to be proficient in before learning techniques.
They are cut, stab, skim, slice, sweep, hook, chop, raise, parry, and intercept. Each of these sword moves performs a particular function that is essential in handling a sword. If someone doesn't know these, then they are more likely to hurt themselves than others while wielding a sword.
These ten basic moves, when combined and arranged in a particular sequence, create a particular set of movements that could be called techniques. Each and every sword-based martial art is built upon this. Duncan knew this.
From what he understood about the <Absolute Cut Sword Arts>, this sword technique took the cut sword move of the basic fundamentals and elevated it to a whole new level. The concept of cutting with the sword is one that is hidden in the <Absolute Cut Sword Arts>.
While he understood it, Duncan didn't know how to proceed further. He knew the direction in which he needed to proceed further, but he didn't know how he was going to do it. It was as if he was rooted in a spot and staring into a hazy mist.
There was a thin veil that was covering Duncan's eyes and he needed to get rid of it. Only then will he be able to grasp the concept behind his sword technique.
Likewise, the same could be said for his other martial art. <Wind Chasing Steps> focused on speed purely. It was the reason Duncan had chosen it over other movement techniques.
Unlike other movement techniques that tried to be mysterious in their application, <Wind Chasing Steps> was simple and straightforward. It focused purely on speed and didn't bother about fancy footwork. It was one of the major reasons for Duncan to choose it.
After all, if he was running for his life why would he worry about his footwork? As long as he was fast enough, he could escape from the enemy. Such was Duncan's mindset at that time.
The essence of <Wind Chasing Steps> can be summed up in a simple sentence. One needs to be fast enough to chase after the wind and be surefooted enough to succeed.
Duncan ran into the same problem with this technique as well. He understood the idea behind the concept, but he didn't know how to grasp it and make it his. It maddened Duncan to know that he was on the verge of figuring out something and increasing his strength, but was unable to do so due to something inexplicable.
Duncan ended the day in frustration after repeatedly trying to tear down the thin veil that obstructed his vision and failing constantly. He didn't have the heart to roam around after that and decided to spend one more night in his current location, as no beasts have come calling for an entire day despite the ruckus he made while practicing his martial arts.
Soon, the night fell and Duncan was once more enjoying his time in the wilderness with smoked meat in hand. This time it was better because he had an extra gourd of blood wine in his hand to go along with it.
As Duncan relaxed, he wondered if Shen Wulong would make another appearance this night. After vanishing at daybreak, he hadn't found a single evidence of Shen Wulong's presence in the vicinity after that.
Just as Duncan was enjoying himself with wine and food, a fragrant smell wafted through the air causing Duncan to look in a particular direction. While there was no one there, Duncan trusted his senses more than his vision at this time of the night.
He wondered if there was a beast that was trying to lure him. In the past ten days, he had seen demonic beasts hunting other beasts in a wide variety of manners. The smell could be from a spirit flower that was stimulated by a demonic beast hoping it would lure in some unwary prey. So, Duncan was naturally cautious.
While he was preparing himself to hide from whatever demonic beast was in that direction, he saw two silhouettes walking through the night in his direction slowly. Seeing them, Duncan squinted his eyes and affirmed that they were humans. Despite that, he didn't let down his guard.
The two figures wore grey cloaks that covered most of their features. Still from the way they walked confidently, Duncan determined that they must be strong enough not to be threatened by the demonic beasts in this region. One of the figures had a feminine charm in its walk and the other one walked a step behind as if it was subservient to the one in the front.
Duncan knew that he couldn't escape them if they wanted to hunt him down. His strength wasn't high enough to walk through the region brazenly during the night. If these two figures were walking in such a manner, then they must be stronger than him as well.
So, he waited patiently for them to approach him.
"Huh, looks like a junior brother is residing here. I wonder if he would share his space with us," a melodious sound came out of the figure in lead confirming Duncan's guess that it was female.
The moment Duncan heard that voice, a fire started burning deep in his gut. It almost made him agree to the request of the voice unconsciously. He felt as if he could die peacefully if he took one look at that hidden face.
Before he could do something stupid, Duncan regained control of his bearings. A sense of unease flashed through his mind and it made him more cautious. He had almost been influenced by just hearing the voice of the female in the lead. Duncan felt that this female was truly dangerous and raised his guard up in his heart.
"This is a wild place, you both don't need my permission to spend the night here. That is, if it is what you want," Duncan replied calmly as he prepared himself to use his sword.
While he knew that it wouldn't be of much help, he felt a little safe having the sword in his hands. The leading figure noticed his stance and chuckled softly almost causing Duncan's mind to collapse from the melodious sound.
"Junior brother seems very interesting. I will be honored to spend the night in his presence," the female said softly as she came and occupied the same spot Shen Wulong had occupied yesterday.
Duncan didn't believe one word that came out of the female's mouth. His guard was always up and he didn't plan to let it down anytime soon.
He merely smiled and relaxed as the other figure came and took a seat beside the leading one. Duncan once again noted that the other figure sat a little distance away from the leading female as if it was subservient.
*****
A/N: Hey folks!
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